Muhammad Ali wins the Rumble in the Jungle - Oct 30, 1974 - HISTORY.com Muhammad Ali wins the Rumble in the Jungle Share this: Muhammad Ali wins the Rumble in the Jungle Author Muhammad Ali wins the Rumble in the Jungle URL Publisher A+E Networks On October 30, 1974, 32-year-old Muhammad Ali becomes the heavyweight champion of the world for the second time when he knocks out 25-year-old champ George Foreman in the eighth round of the “Rumble in the Jungle,” a match in Kinshasa, Zaire. Seven years before, Ali had lost his title when the government accused him of draft-dodging and the boxing commission took away his license. His victory in Zaire made him only the second dethroned champ in history to regain his belt. The “Rumble in the Jungle” (named by promoter Don King, who’d initially tagged the bout “From the Slave Ship to the Championship!” until Zaire’s president caught wind of the idea and ordered all the posters burned) was Africa’s first heavyweight championship match.

The government of the West African republic staged the event—its president, Mobutu Sese Seko, personally paid each of the fighters $5 million simply for showing up—in hopes that it would draw the world’s attention to the country’s enormous beauty and vast reserves of natural resources. Ali agreed. “I wanted to establish a relationship between American blacks and Africans,” he wrote later. “The fight was about racial problems, Vietnam. All of that.” He added: “The Rumble in the Jungle was a fight that made the whole country more conscious.” At 4:30 a.m. on October 30, 60,000 spectators gathered in the moonlight (organizers had timed the fight to overlap with prime time in the U.S.) at the outdoor Stade du 20 Mai to watch the fight. They were chanting “Ali, bomaye” (“Ali, kill him”). The ex-champ had been taunting Foreman for weeks, and the young boxer was eager to get going. When the bell rang, he began to pound Ali with his signature sledgehammer blows, but the older man simply backed himself up against the ropes and used his arms to block as many hits as he could.

He was confident that he could wait Foreman out. (Ali’s trainer later called this strategy the “rope-a-dope,” because he was “a dope” for using it.) By the fifth round, the youngster began to tire. His powerful punches became glances and taps. And in the eighth, like “a bee harassing a bear,” as one Times reporter wrote, Ali peeled himself off the ropes and unleashed a barrage of quick punches that seemed to bewilder the exhausted Foreman. A hard left and chopping right caused the champ’s weary legs to buckle, and he plopped down on the mat. The referee counted him out with just two seconds to go in the round. Ali lost his title and regained it once more before retiring for good in 1981. Foreman, meanwhile, retired in 1977 but kept training, and in 1987 he became the oldest heavyweight champ in the history of boxing. Today, the affable Foreman is a minister and rancher in Texas and the father of five daughters and five sons, all named George. He’s also the spokesman for the incredibly popular line of George Foreman indoor grills. Related Videos George Foreman vs.

Muhammad Ali - BoxRec George Foreman vs. Muhammad Ali From BoxRec Jump to: navigation , search 1974-10-30 : George Foreman 220 lbs lost to Muhammad Ali 216½ lbs by KO at 2:58 in round 8 of 15 Location: Stade du 20 Mai, Kinshasa, Congo (Democratic Republic Of The) 1.6 Sources The Rumble in the Jungle "The Rumble in The Jungle" was a historic boxing match which took place on October 30, 1974 in the May 20 Stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo). It pitted then World Heavyweight Champion George Foreman against former champion and #1 contender Muhammad Ali , who became the second fighter ever, after Floyd Patterson , to regain the World Heavyweight Championship. The event was Don King 's first big venture as a boxing promoter. He managed to get both Ali and Foreman to agree to let him promote the fight if he could get them $5 million each. However, King did not have the money, so he began looking for an outside country to sponsor the event.

Zaire's flamboyant president, Mobutu Sese Seko, asked for the fight to be held in his country, eager for the publicity such a high-profile event would bring. The fight was shown on closed-circuit television at about 450 locations in the United States and Canada and was seen in roughly 100 countries worldwide. The fight was scheduled to start at 4:00 a.m. in Zaire to accommodate audiences in the United States. Build up to the Fight Ali was stripped of the World Heavyweight Championship and suspended from boxing for three and a half years following his refusal to enter the U.S. Army in 1967. He was able to regain a boxing license in 1970 and promptly fought two comeback fights, against Jerry Quarry and Oscar Bonavena . The following year, Ali fought Joe Frazier for the World Heavyweight Championship in a bout dubbed the Fight of the Century , which Frazier won by a unanimous decision. Over the next three years, Ali stayed active against other contenders while he campaigned for another title shot. Foreman had quickly risen from his gold medal victory at the 1968 Olympics and into the top ranks of professional heavyweights.

Although considered by many to be somewhat slow and clumsy, Foreman was greatly feared for his punching power, size, and sheer physical dominance. Still, Joe Frazier and his handlers believed that despite Foreman's ever growing list of knockout victories, he would be too slow and unrefined to stand up to Frazier's relentless attacks. This would turn out to be a grave miscalculation, as Foreman, a 3½ to 1 underdog, won the championship in grand fashion by knocking Frazier down six times in two rounds before the bout was stopped. Foreman further solidified his hold over the heavyweight division with a second-round destruction of Ken Norton , who was the only man besides Frazier (at that point in time) to defeat Ali (breaking Ali's jaw in the process). By the time Ali and Foreman met, Ali had avenged his losses to both Norton and Frazier, but Foreman was an overwhelming favorite against a slowing and aging Ali. Foreman and Ali spent much of the summer of 1974 training in Zaire and getting their bodies used to the weather in the tropical African country.

The fight was originally set to happen on September 24, but the fight was postponed after Foreman was cut during training. It was rescheduled for October 30. Ali was a very endearing figure to the people of Zaire and his mind games played out well, turning the Congolese people in his favor and against Foreman. A popular chant leading up to, and during the fight, was "Ali bomaye!," which means "Ali, kill him!" The Rumble Insiders say that Foreman and his handlers actually prayed in his dressing room before the fight that Foreman would not kill Ali, so high was the anticipation that Ali was simply no match for Foreman. Ali came out dancing in the first round and Foreman went right at him. Ali made good use of the right-hand lead, catching Foreman several times. When Foreman got close, Ali tied him up. Before the end of the first round, Foreman caught up to Ali and began landing a few punches of his own. Foreman had been trained well to cut off the ring, preventing escape. At the beginning of the second round, Ali went to the ropes and covered up, letting Foreman punch at him.

Ali would occasionally fire back with his own shots. The plan was to let Foreman punch himself out, a strategy Ali later dubbed the rope-a-dope. “Get away from the ropes,” Ali’s corner yelled. Angelo Dundee , Ali's trainer, later said, “When he went to the ropes, I felt sick.” At the end of the second round, Dundee implored Ali to stay off the ropes. Ali waved him away and said, “I know what I’m doing.” "I didn't really plan what happened that night," Ali said. "But when a fighter gets in the ring, he has to adjust according to the conditions he faces. Against George, the ring was slow. Dancing all night, my legs would have got tired. And George was following me too close, cutting off the ring. In the first round, I used more energy staying away from him than he used chasing me. So between rounds, I decided to do what I did in training when I got tired." Foreman spent all his energy throwing punches (in an oven-like heat) that were mostly blocked by Ali or did not land flush. When Foreman did land flush, Ali was able to take it.

"A couple of times, he shock me bad, especially with the right hand," Ali said. "But I blocked and dodged most of what he threw, and each round his punches got slower and hurt less when they landed." When the two fighters were locked in clinches, Ali consistently outwrestled Foreman. He leaned on Foreman to make Foreman support his weight, and he held Foreman's head down by pushing on his neck, a move which is both disorientating and can heighten the effect of punches since it causes a greater snap in the neck when a fighter is hit. Ali also constantly taunted Foreman, telling Foreman to throw more and harder punches, and an enraged Foreman responded by doing just that. After several rounds, Foreman began to tire. Foreman was staggered by an Ali combination at the start of the fourth round and again near the end of the fifth, after Foreman had seemed to dominate much of that round. Although he would keep throwing punches and coming forward, after the fifth round, Foreman was very tired and he looked increasingly worn out. Ali continued to taunt him by saying "Hit harder! Show me something, George" and "That don't hurt.

I thought you were supposed to be bad." Finally in the eighth round, Ali landed the final combination, a left hook that brought Foreman's head up into position so Ali could nail him with a hard right straight to the face. Foreman staggered, then twirled across half the ring before landing on his back. Foreman got up but not quickly enough. The referee counted to ten and waved the fight over. Ten years after upsetting Sonny Liston and seven years after being stripped of the title, Ali had finally regained the World Heavyweight Championship. Foreman later claimed that the reason he took so long to get up was that he was looking over at his corner, waiting for their signal to get up, but they were slow to do so. "After the fight, for a while I was bitter," Foreman said. "I had all sorts of excuses. The ring ropes were loose. The referee counted too fast. The cut hurt my training. I was drugged.

I should have just said the best man won, but I'd never lost before so I didn't know how to lose." "The Rumble in the Jungle" has since become one of the most famous fights of all time, due to Ali regaining the title in a huge upset and developing the rope-a-dope. It is shown often on the ESPN Classic network. Cultural Influence The events before and during the fight are depicted in the Academy Award winning documentary When We Were Kings (1996). Due to his Parkinsonism, Ali had trouble walking to the stage to be part of the group receiving the Oscar and Foreman helped him up the steps. The documentary also showed the musical acts (James Brown, B.B. King, The Spinners, and Bill Withers, among others) who performed during a three-day musical showcase staged in advance of the championship bout. The biographical movie Ali (2002) depicts this fight as the film's climax. In the movie Rocky III (1982), Rocky uses a strategy similar to the rope-a-dope in his rematch with Clubber Lang. Norman Mailer wrote a book, The Fight, describing the events and placing them within the context of his views of African American culture.

George Plimpton covered the fight for Sports Illustrated and it is featured in detail in his book Shadow Box. The historical fiction novel, The Poisonwood Bible, mentions the fight. Johnny Wakelin wrote a song about the fight called In Zaire. The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, and John Forte wrote a song about the fight titled Rumble in the Jungle. The Hours also wrote a song about the fight titled Ali In The Jungle. The fight was ranked seventh in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Sporting Moments IN 2002. The fight was covered in an episode of ESPN Classic's The Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame..., examining reasons why people shouldn't blame Foreman for losing. Awards 1974 Round of the Year (Round 8) - The Ring Quotes "George Foreman is nothing but a big mummy.

I've officially named him 'The Mummy.' He moves like a slow mummy, and there ain't no mummy gonna whup the great Muhammad Ali." - Muhammad Ali "If you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, wait till I whup Foreman's behind." - Muhammad Ali "It will be a divine fight, a holy war...Armageddon on a miniature scale." - Muhammad Ali "All of my critics crawl! All of you suckers who write The Ring magazine, Boxing Illustrated ... all of you suckers bow!" - Muhammad Ali "I told you, all of my critics, I told you all, that I was the greatest of all times when I beat Sonny Liston. I told you today, I'm still the greatest of all times." - Muhammad Ali "I was the dope." - George Foreman on the rope-a-dope. Sources Muhammad Ali Rumble in the Jungle Win: How He Beat George Foreman Illustration for TIME by Robert Handeville An illustration from TIME's Sept. 23, 1974, fight preview The historic fight took place 40 years ago, on Oct.

30, 1974 When TIME sent Nairobi Bureau Chief Lee Griggs to Kinshasa in 1974 to preview the Oct. 30 boxing match that became known as “The Rumble in the Jungle,” it seemed clear that the winning money was not on the favorite. The bout between reigning champion George Foreman and Muhammad Ali, who had previously lost the title after refusing to be drafted into the military, came with the biggest purse in sports history. Both boxers were guaranteed at least $5 million but — though boxing fans worldwide, and especially in the country then called Zaire, were rooting hard for Ali — it seemed clear that Foreman would be the one going home with the title. He was younger and strong and on a winning streak. He would back Ali into the ropes, where the older boxer’s footwork would do no good. TIME’s sports editor Philip Taubman predicted that the result would be Foreman in six. When the fight actually went down — 40 years ago Thursday, after a delay of about a month from its originally planned September date — that did not happen. Though Foreman went after Ali just as predicted, the results were far from what had been expected.

Here’s what did happen, as TIME reported in the Nov. 11, 1974, issue: Then, in the second round, the bee unexpectedly threw away the tactics of his entire career. Off his toes and seemingly off his rocker, Ali stood along the ropes, exactly where Foreman wants an opponent to be. Indeed, with his customary authority, Foreman started pounding punches against Ali’s midsection. Some of Foreman’s blows glanced off Ali’s arms and gloves, and none hit Ali’s face, but it seemed to be only a matter of time before Ali’s belly would turn to pulp. Astonishingly, Ali seemed hardly concerned. As the fiercest puncher since Sonny Liston whaled away, Ali shouted taunts at Foreman. “You can’t hurt me!” Ali yelled. “You punch like a sissy.” Soon it became clear that Ali had constructed a trap. All summer and fall he had been developing granite abdominal muscles with a grueling regimen of calisthenics, spending an hour every morning hardening his gut by doing sit-ups with his legs held up at a 45 degree angle or while his limbs were pumping back and forth in a bicycle-pedaling motion.

Now he was simply letting Foreman punch himself out against that iron flesh. “I wanted to make him shoot his best shots,” said Ali later. That is precisely what Foreman did. In the sultry tropical night (the temperature was 86° and the humidity about 90%), Foreman’s punches soon lost power. Arm weary, he began to swing wildly, frequently missing entirely, spinning around on his own momentum like a worn-out drunk. Ali took advantage of Foreman’s slack defense by springing off the ropes time after time to jolt the bone-tired champ with lightning combinations to the head. By giving up on the “floating like a butterfly” that had made his career, Muhammad Ali won the match in the eighth round. Read TIME’s run-up to the ‘Rumble in the Jungle’ here, in the archives: Violent Coronation in Kinshasa Ali vs. Foreman: 40 Years Since 'Rumble in the Jungle' Photos - ABC News ABC News Ali vs.

Foreman: 40 Years Since 'Rumble in the Jungle' + − Zaire's President Mobutu Sese Seko, center, as he raises the arms of heavyweight champ George Foreman, left, and Muhammad Ali, right, in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo, Sept. 22, 1974. Horst Faas/AP Photo Zaire's President Mobutu Sese Seko, center, as he raises the arms of heavyweight champ George Foreman, left, and Muhammad Ali, right, in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo, Sept. 22, 1974. Horst Faas/AP Photo Muhammad Ali as he chants to fans during a sightseeing tour downtown Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo, Sept. 17, 1974. AP Photo Perspiration flies from the head of George Foreman as he takes a right from challenger Muhammad Ali in the seventh round in the match dubbed Rumble in the Jungle in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo, Oct.

30, 1974. Ed Kolenovsky/AP Photo Muhammad Ali, right, as he stands back as referee Zack Clayton calls the count over opponent George Foreman, red shorts, in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo, Oct. 30, 1974. AP Photo Challenger Muhammad Ali watches as defending world champion George Foreman goes down to the canvas in the eighth round of their WBA/WBC championship match in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo, Oct. 30, 1974. AP Photo George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in action at the Heavyweight Championship fight, Oct. 30, 1974, in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo. Focus on Sport/Getty Images George Foreman and Muhammad Ali compete in the Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight fight in Kinshasa, Zaire, which is now known as the Republic of Congo, Oct. 30, 1974.

AFP/Getty Images Muhammad Ali holds the torch before lighting the Olympic Flame during the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, July 19, 1996. Michael Cooper/Getty Images American Former World Heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman holds his week-old son, George Foreman III, Houston, Jan. 29, 1983. Michael Brennan/Getty Images Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali, then President Bill Clinton, and Jim Carrey onstage during the Grand Opening Gala for the Muhammad Ali Center at the Kentucky Center in Louisville, Ky., Nov. 19, 2005. Jeff Haynes/AFP/Getty Images George Foreman poses while launching his "Lean, Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine, " Nov. 22, 2001, during a press conference in London. Anthony Harvey/Getty Images Muhammad Ali, Lonnie Ali, and Jennifer Lopez attend Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XIX at JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort &amp; Spa, March 23, 2013, in Phoenix. John Sciulli/Getty Images for Fight Night U.S. Rep.

Al Green (D-TX) presents a Phoenix award to former boxer George Foreman at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Phoenix Awards dinner, Sept. 24, 2011, in Washington. Chris Kleponis/Getty Images PHOTO: Robin Williams and Muhammad Ali during Muhammad Ali's Celebrity Fight Night XII - Inside at JW Marriott Ridge Desert Resort in Phoenix, March 18, 2006. M. Caulfield/PMK/Getty Images George Forman throws out the ceremonial first pitch before the game between the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park, May 30, 2014, in Houston. Dave Einsel/MLB Photos/Getty Images 'Rumble in the Jungle' defeat to Muhammad Ali was my finest hour as a boxer, says George Foreman - Telegraph Muhammad Ali 'Rumble in the Jungle' defeat to Muhammad Ali was my finest hour as a boxer, says George Foreman It may have been the lowest moment of his career, but George Foreman is forever grateful to 'The Greatest' for transforming his life 40 years ago Follow George Foreman can never forget the day, 40 years ago, he was felled by Muhammad Ali . He will not allow himself to.

Every time he switches on his computer at his home in Texas, he is confronted with an image of him tumbling to the ground and Ali standing over him, triumphant, after landing the punch that ended “The Rumble in the Jungle”. “That picture is my screensaver,” Foreman reveals. “It is a reminder to me every day that you have to stay humble.” “The Rumble” was many things: the signal of the arrival of Don King as a formidable promoter, the breaking of a new frontier in taking blue-riband boxing to Africa; the marriage of sport and soul music, with the fight staged alongside the Zaire 74 festival. But strip away the context, to leave just the boxing, and this is still a night that stands the test of time – an epic moment in sporting history, more mythologised with each passing year. Inevitably, the story tends to be told through the prism of Ali, with his soundbites and sledgehammer fists. Yet it was just as much a defining moment for Foreman: the first time he was made to feel truly mortal on the sporting stage, and a day that ultimately proved – as he recognises now – a personal epiphany.

Foreman, then 25, had been world champion for 21 months, having annihilated Joe Frazier and Ken Norton, both inside two rounds. He was considered impregnable, with Ali – who had lost the heavyweight crown to Frazier at “The Fight of The Century” in New York three years previously – widely written off in the build-up. Foreman cuts an affable figure today, with his church preaching and lean, mean grilling machines, yet 40 years ago, he was boxing’s bogeyman: a terrifying, moody, imposing figure – a street brawler, cut from the same rough cloth as Sonny Liston a decade previously. Related Articles Muhammad Ali is so ill he cannot speak 12 Oct 2014 “I wasn’t looking to make friends with anyone,” he recalls to Telegraph Sport. “I was young and all I wanted was fame and fortune. I didn’t think that boxing could offer me anything else. “Liston was my role model. I spent many years working with Sonny, training and preparing him for fights. What I started to admire about him was his personality. Or, I should say, his absence of a personality.

So I got rid of mine.” Foreman’s focus was relentless. King may have been eager to drum up the symbolic nature of a heavyweight title contest between two of the world’s most famous black athletes in Zaire – “an emancipation for black people,” as he called it – but for Foreman it was purely business. “When I went to Africa, all I wanted was to get more money. Don King agreed to pay both Ali and me so much money I didn’t care where he got it from. Going to Africa to fight meant they weren’t even going to snatch income tax from us. We couldn’t say ‘no’. That’s why I was eager to leave and go to Africa. But the truth is that I wasn’t happy to leave home at all. “I wanted to join Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, John L Sullivan and Rocky Marciano. These were all heroes if you wanted to be heavyweight champion of the world. The colour thing had nothing to do with what I was interested in at the time. I didn’t pay much attention to it at all.” Foreman’s refusal to engage in racial grandstanding allowed Ali to, as his opponent puts it now, “wear the black hat” and assiduously court public opinion.

The relentless stream of insults, braggadocio and publicity stunts emanating from the Ali camp made him the local favourite, and turned Foreman – who remained resolutely locked in his training base – appear cold and unlovable. “I just thought: 'I’m bigger, better and you’re no threat to me',” Foreman says. “There was no reason to dislike him. He never got under my skin. I was too big to let him get under my skin. He could only get under someone’s skin if they thought he was going to be a threat.” Ali’s success in the PR war even extended to arriving in Zaire 24 hours earlier than Foreman (pictured today below) in September, to ensure a more frenzied reaction. “When we arrived, there were 6,000 people on the tarmac at sunrise waiting for us,” Bill Caplan, Foreman’s publicist, recalls. “We were supposed to be there for 10 days, but George got cut five days before the fight.” Pic: Getty Images The six-week delay which followed simply fuelled Foreman’s unease. “George wanted to leave the country – he didn’t like it there,” Caplan tells Telegraph Sport.

“But Mobutu [Sese Seko, the president of Zaire] wouldn’t allow him to leave. He feared he would never come back, and he probably wouldn’t have. “Muhammad Ali was the most famous person on Earth at that time. He could literally go into any country in the world, walk out onto the street and draw an immediate crowd. “He was bigger than the President of the United States, the Prime Minister of England and the Pope. None of them could do that without their entourage. He did it in Zaire and had people following him by the hundreds. “Everywhere they followed him they were chanting ‘Ali bumaye! Ali bumaye!’ That would make anybody feel uncomfortable and George was no different.” The fight, when it finally happened, merely proved an extension of Ali’s dominance. Foreman unleashed a ferocious barrage on Ali in the opening two rounds, pinning him against the ropes: to the untrained eye, it looked just a matter of time before Ali succumbed. Foreman’s camp, however, already had misgivings.

Caplan said: “At the end of the second round, I’ve got my ample belly up against the ring and I can see George sucking in air, breathing hard. I said to the photographer next to me: ‘Oh my God, we’re going to blow this fight.’ ” Caplan’s fears were well founded. An exhausted Foreman could not sustain his assault and, late in the eighth round, Ali struck with a fearsome counter-attack, landing a straight right to send Foreman spiralling to the canvas. “I could hear him screaming, ‘I told you! I told you!’,” Foreman adds to Telegraph Sport. “Whenever I was knocked down in my career, I was always told by my corner: ‘Don’t jump up – always look to your corner.’ And that’s what I did. You can see me getting my head up, looking to the corner at Dick Saddler. He waved me to stay down for a second and wait. Then he told me to jump up. But, when I jumped up, they called the fight off. It hadn’t reached 10, that’s for sure.” Initially, the sting of defeat was almost too much for Foreman to bear.

Caplan recalls the deposed champion being “very depressed” in the aftermath, but time has healed the wounds. Now, Foreman savours being inextricably linked with Ali and one of the greatest fights ever staged. “This man [Ali] turned out to be one of the greatest boxers of all time and I would have gotten up and really could’ve been hurt,” he says. “What did I think I was going to do? Knock out the great Muhammad Ali when I’d just been hurt and put down? If there was a quick fight that night, I was the one who benefited from it, not Muhammad Ali. “I left the ring that night trying to find answers. There had to be more to life than just one, two, three and you’re out. That fight started me on my journey looking for big answers. And because of that fight, I found big answers.” Foreman became a minister soon afterwards and preached around the United States, his words reaching an even greater audience thanks to his indelible link with Ali. “When I first preached on the streets as a minister, nobody recognised me – I had cut my hair and my moustache.

Then, one night when people were passing me by, I started shouting: ‘Yes, I’m George Foreman. I’m the one who lost to Muhammad Ali.’ People stopped. They didn’t know who I was, but they came back and I confirmed I was George Foreman. “I realised then that it was my name and my association with Muhammad Ali and ‘The Rumble in the Jungle’ that helped me with my ministry. So the one thing I’m really proud of is that boxing match with Muhammad Ali. And that picture on my computer helps me, too. When people say: ‘Do you really think you lost?’ I can say: ‘Well, here’s a photograph that proves it!’ ” Foreman’s reflections on his former self – and his relationship with Ali – have the feel of a confessional. “I had this air of superiority about me back then. I didn’t know how to lose. But that night something strange and mysterious happened to me. I lost, of course, but I just couldn’t understand it. The punches that I had relied on for so many years would land but do nothing. I thought it was kind of mysterious.

“All this time I thought I had advantages over Muhammad Ali – my strength, my power, my reach, everything. He was fighting me with the ultimate advantage, though, and that was that he loved me. He always loved me. “The way I see it is this. Someone might tell you to look at the moon one day and you realise how beautiful it is. Then you realise it’s been there all this time. Well, Muhammad has been a wonderful human being all along.” The days of Ali being able to offer his memories of that sultry night in Kinshasa are, sadly, no more, his mind and body ever more debilitated by Parkinson’s disease. Instead, as Thursday’s landmark anniversary approaches, it falls to Foreman to reflect on the fight that changed boxing forever. “It was a moment for us all to look back and realise that we really were kings back in those days. The movie they made of the fight was When We Were Kings and there was no better title. We were kings.

And boxing itself was the king of all sports.” The Rumble In The Jungle: The Story Of Muhammad Ali And George Foreman’s Epic Fight In Photos | By Anorak on 30 October 2013 | comments 1 Share this: On October 30, 1974, Muhammad Ali knocked out George Foreman in the eighth round of a 15-round bout in Kinshasa, Zaire, to regain his world heavyweight title. The WBA/WBC championship boxing match was dubbed Rumble in the Jungle. This is the story in photos: Workers are busy with preparations on August 12, 1974 at the main entrance of the May 20 Stadium in Kinshasa. Zaire dancer with spear moves ahead of Muhammad Ali through welcoming crowded at Kinshasa airport, September 10, 1974. Ali arrived in a chartered Air Zaire plane from Paris. Heavyweight champion George Foreman, left, and former heavyweight champion Archie Moore share a light moment at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 1974.

World heavyweight boxing champ George Foreman signs autograph for unidentified cook during a news conference, Sept. 11, 1974 at Orly Field, outside Paris, where he made brief stopover. Muhammad Ali reads one his famous pre-fight poems, to reporters at his training camp in N?Sele near Kinshasa, Zaire, Sept. 12, 1974. In his poem, Morning Shave. Muhammad Ali, due to fight George Foreman, world heavyweight champion, Sept. 24, 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire, tells a crowd of boxing fans in N’ Sele, Thursday, Sept. 12, 1974 “Ako bo mai ye,” which translates from Zaire’s Lingalla dialect as: “I will kill him.” The fight had to be rescheduled to October 29, 1974 after Foreman needed to recover from an eye injury. Muhammad Ali bends and dance steps backwards in his typical style as he works out with sparring partner Larry Holmes, left, during training rounds at the N’Sele gym this afternoon, September 14, 1974, near Kinshasa.

Date: 14/09/1974 Archie Moore, right, former light heavyweight champion, gives a few words of advice to George Foreman. Foreman works out – October 15th. Muhammad Ali poses in front of the Stanley statue in Kinshasa, Zaire, Sept. 17, 1974. Zaire’s President Mobutu Sese Seko, center, raises the arms of heavyweight champ George Foreman, left, and Muhammad Ali, right, in Kinshasa. Date: 22/09/1974 Muhammad Ali plays a few notes on the piano while visiting black American artists that perform in the Zaire 74 music festival in Kinshasa, Zaire, Sept. 22, 1974. At right is the American rhythm and blues singer Etta James. Musicians and artists were rehearsing at Kinshasa Hotel. The festival lasts from September 21-23. Muhammad Ali and his trainer Bundini Brown watch a Zaire native dancer balancing a wooden chair with his teeth, Sept. 29, 1974.

George Foreman working out after his eye injury in preparation for his fight against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire on Oct. 2, 1974. World heavyweight champion George Foreman, left, runs at dawn, with his brother, Robert, along the Zaire banks of the Congo River on his daily 6-mile road work exercise in Kinshasa, Zaire, Oct. 5, 1974. Muhammad Ali, right, lifts himself off both feet during sparring practice October 21, 1974 with Roy Williams at the N’ Sele training center near Kinshasa, Zaire. Ali predicted Monday that his scheduled 15 round title bout Oct. 30, 1974 with George Foreman, world heavyweight champion, “will not go the full distance.” Fight promoter Don King, standing, speaks at a press conference October 22, 1974 in Kinshasa, Zaire. Muhammad Ali holds the head of his cornerman Drew Bundini Brown. Muhammad Ali plants kiss on cheek of young girl at his training camp in Zaire, Oct. 26, 1974.

Heavyweight champion George Foreman responds to cheers of crowd in stadium in Kinshasa, Zaire Saturday night, October 26, 1974 during weigh in for his title defence against Muhammad Ali . Foreman’s manager Dick Sadler, with hat at left, talks with Don King, partially shown. At right, in white hat is Archie Moore, former light heavyweight champion, who is Foreman’s trainer. U.S. former football star and movie actor James Brown, right, and former World Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier arrived at Kinshasa airport from New York to watch tomorrows heavyweight championship fight between Ali and Foreman. Frazier is being kissed by an unidentified American admirer. Man in the background not identified. Date: 28/10/1974 Muhammad Ali and his wife take a boat ride in Kinshasa, Zaire, Sept. 29, 1974.

Muhammed Ali remembered on the 40th anniversary of the Rumble in the Jungle | Daily Mail Online comments To the thinly disguised chagrin of a pitiful coven of hacks who regard boxing as so barbaric that they campaign for its abolition, The Greatest is still alive to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the most famous fight in ring history. Muhammad Ali launched a week of reminiscences about the Rumble in the Jungle by tweeting a happy snapshot of himself and some of his family and announcing that he feels just fine. Not for the first time, reports of his death have been exaggerated. Muhammad Ali looks on after knocking down George Foreman in the 1974 Rumble in the Jungle Ali recently posted a picture on Twitter with the caption: 'Don't believe the hype. Feeling great earlier today' Ali's daughter Laila Ali tweeted an earlier message saying rumours of her father's health have been exaggerated Not that this inconvenient truth has prevented some critics from using the occasion to dwell on how Parkinson’s disease has silenced the most voluble athlete of all time and diminished his physical powers.

In the awkward realisation that they would be mocked for denigrating one of the most remarkable sporting achievements of all time, they pay grudging lip service to the scale of Ali’s accomplishment in Zaire on the sweltering night of October 30, 1974. Then they rain opprobrium on that parade, citing medical speculation as to how the many punches he took before his astonishing knock-out of Big Foreman might have damaged his brain. Such is the hypocrisy of those who rarely, if ever, deign to take a seat at ringside yet refuse to recognise the potential of boxing for strengthening the moral character of young men (and women), or their right to choose that path out of poverty. Ali was brought to Zaire for the fight after the infamous President of Zaire Mobutu Sese Seko put up $10m Ali trains in front of a captive audience in Kinshasa before a cut to Foreman's eye delayed the fight Ali had the locals in Zaire chanting 'Ali, bomaye', which translated means 'Ali, kill him!' Of course there can be harmful consequences of absorbing heavy blows to the head.

But those who deem the risks not worth taking are not entitled to make currency of boxing’s most captivating moments. They simply can’t have it both ways. If they insist that a bright boy from the mean streets of Louisville should never have been permitted to lace up the gloves, they have no place riding the tail of the comet he blazed across our universe. RELATED ARTICLES Share 511 shares Boxing was the making of Ali. It gave vivid expression to the most compelling voice of all our sporting generations and made his face the most recognisable on the planet. Would it really have been preferable for him to be dragged down into the criminal depths of the ghetto than to accumulate fame and fortune while becoming the champion of world heavyweight prize-fighting and the civil rights movement? The man himself does not think so. Boxing took Ali from the streets to make him the most recognisable face on the planet Ali reacts after winning the heavyweight title for the first time by beating Sonny Liston in 1964 Ali poses with The Beatles after being crowned the heavyweight champion of the world THE RUMBLE IN NUMBERS 60,000 roaring fans packed Kinshasa’s outdoor Stade du 20 Mai for the fight.

32 -year-old Ali was seven years older than his opponent and a fading former champ not expected to last more than three rounds. It is said that in the dressing room, Foreman and his ringside crew had knelt to pray that he did not kill Ali. 450 locations in the United States and Canada — and in some cinemas in the United Kingdom — screened the fight on closed-circuit television. 100 countries were estimated to have taken the fight, which was scheduled to start at 4.0am in Zaire to accommodate audiences in the US. 10 million dollars was split between the two — $5m each — paid for by President Mobutu. 45 Foreman first quit in 1977 and returned in the early Nineties — winning the world title again at 45, becoming the oldest heavyweight champion in history. The last time he was able to whisper in my hearing he recalled with eye-twinkling relish the dramatic turbulence of his prime years. But he also attested to contentment with the tranquillity of his current condition and the time that now gives him for profound reflection on his life and times. The Rumble in the Jungle is a pillar of his momentous life.

As was his first winning of the world title. Those twin slayings of giants perceived as monsters came 10 years apart. In 1964, he ‘shook up the world,’ as he put it, by reducing a seemingly indestructible bear of a man called Sonny Liston to a demoralised wreck. In 1974 he returned to defy all predictions once more by making a Rope-a-Dope of the formidable, intimidating Foreman. If anything, the Rumbling of Foreman was more astonishing than the Crumbling of Liston. As Cassius Clay, in his first incarnation, he was a phenomenal athlete as well as a luminous mind. As Muhammad Ali, deep into his spiritual conversion, he was deemed a veteran pugilist surviving on those quick wits. Another genius, of sorts, helped Ali nag at Foreman’s psyche.

Ali took a lot of punishment by methodically drawing Foreman in to waste the younger fighter's energy Ali begins returning the reigning heavyweight champion of the world's blows with interest The promotional poster for the Rumble in the Jungle By persuading Zaire’s President Mobuto to bestow $10million of his ill-gotten gains on the protagonists - $5m each - flamboyant promoter Don King provided an unusual stage better suited to Ali’s multi-faceted flair for the dramatic. The stadium would be a hot-house of more than 50,000 spectators, all entranced by the legend of The Greatest. The capital city of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo became a captivated theatre for Ali the Entertainer. And his electrifying impact on the local population grew and intensified after Foreman suffered an eye-cut in training and King insisted they all stay in Zaire for the extra month needed for him to heal. While Big George growled and grumbled in his lair, Ali went out to engage with the people. The mood of apprehension for the former champ gradually shifted into an inkling that he just might shock the world again.

When Ali came into that boiling arena he rekindled concern for his well-being by lolling on those ropes and allowing Foreman to belabour him with blows of tree-felling power. Occasionally Ali peppered Foreman with counter-combinations. Most demoralisingly of all, he kept asking his opponent: ‘Is that all you’ve got, George?’ By the eighth round he had the answer he wanted. Foreman had punched himself out, so Ali knocked him out with a right hook of devastating precision. After a split-second of stunned silence, the stadium and the wide world of closed circuit television went into raptures. Foreman puts up his guard as Ali surges forward in what has been described as 'The Match of the Century' Referee Zack Clayton counts out Foreman after Ali puts him on the canvass in the 8th round Muhammad Ali was indeed The Greatest. Always would be. No matter what followed, be it epic victory over Smokin’ Joe Frazier in similarly exotic Manila or subsequent decline towards an inevitable and dreadful beating by Larry Holmes. There can be no certainty about which punch or punches may have triggered the shaking hands or trembling vocal chords.

What we can be sure of is that the man himself apportions no blame to the sport which made him a king of every jungle, be it concrete, political or simply dense with foliage. Rather he would have us celebrate the anniversary of that Rumble in Africa. That, and the defiance of Parkinson’s for more than 30 years after diagnosis which appends another famous victory to his record. Ali staged three fights with the legendary Joe Frazier, which left both men physically and mentally exhausted Ali was beaten by Larry Holmes in his last professional fight in Las Vegas, 1980 Ali's brash style changed the way that sportsmen behaved, although few have ever emulated his genius At 72, there is no knowing how long his final battle might last. No knowing what next week might bring. But for the moment, like all of us who love the hard old game and respect the valour of its participants, George Foreman is remembering Ali. Not with a frown. With a smile. Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman - Highlights (Rumble in the Jungle) - YouTube Muhammad Ali vs George Foreman - Highlights (Rumble in the Jungle) Want to watch this again later?

Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Dec 23, 2012 ** NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED ** Follow me on Facebook - Highlights of the epic fight between two legendary heavyweight champions, Muhammad Ali and Big George Foreman! Known as “The Rumble in the Jungle”, Muhammad Ali takes on George Foreman on 30th October 1974, in the Republic of Congo (known as Zaire at that time). It was a historic boxing event, as some have called it "arguably the greatest sporting event of the 20th century”. This fight is also considered to be one of the greatest upsets in boxing history. George Foreman came into this fight undefeated with a record of 40 wins with 37 wins by knockout, while Ali came in with 44 wins with 31 wins by knockout and 2 defeats against Joe Frazier and Ken Norton.

Prior to this fight, Foreman had three huge victories via knockouts in 2 rounds or less against Jose Roman, Ken Norton and most notably over Joe Frazier where Foreman knocked Frazier down six times en route to a shocking stoppage. Frazier had previously upset Muhammad Ali in 1971, knocking Ali down with a classic left hook to earn a 15 round decision. Although Ali had avenged his 2 losses to Frazier and Norton prior to facing Foreman, many still believed that Foreman in his prime would overwhelm Ali who was showing signs of decline as Foreman was at his most destructive physical prime at that point. This is also due to the fact that Foreman dominated Frazier was a 3.5 to 1 betting favorite in less than 2 rounds, many believed that Foreman would knock Ali out as Foreman was known for his tremendous punching power, due to his 37 knockout victories while Ali was considered to be on a decline. Frazier was considered to be the best heavyweight in the sport at that time, after handing Ali’s his first defeat in a fight billed as “Fight of the Century” in 1971.

Foreman was making the third defense of his WBC and WBA heavyweight titles going into the fight, and was a 4-1 betting favorite against Ali. This is the first and perhaps the finest exhibition of Ali’s legendary rope-a-dope tactic. Ring Magazine named The Rumble in the Jungle as the Fight of the Year and its Round 8 the Round of the Year in 1974. Enjoy the video, remember to rate and subscribe! Muchos gracias!

Category Muhammad Ali v George Foreman: the Rumble in the Jungle – in pictures | Sport | The Guardian Muhammad Ali v George Foreman: the Rumble in the Jungle – in pictures Muhammad Ali v George Foreman: the Rumble in the Jungle – in pictures Share on Messenger Close Forty years on from the legendary heavyweight championship fight in Zaire, a look at the best images from the momentous meeting of a prime, undefeated beast of a heavyweight champion known as ‘Big George’ Foreman and his opponent Muhammad Ali Wednesday 29 October 2014 08.00 EDT Last modified on Saturday 4 June 2016 04.57 EDT Muhammad Ali reacts during a New York press conference promoting the upcoming fight against George Foreman in May 1974. Photograph: The Ring Magazine/The Ring Magazine/Getty Images Pinterest With a fight purse of $5m, promoter Don King needed an outside country to sponsor the fight. Zaire’s president Mobutu Sese Seko negotiated for the fight to be held in the African country and was eager for the publicity such a high-profile event would bring.

Photograph: Agence France Presse/Getty Images Muhammad Ali on a sightseeing tour in downtown Kinshasa, the venue for the fight. Photograph: AP The interest in the fight was immense, thousands were at the Kinshasa stadium 11 days before the fight when the reigning heavyweight champion George Foreman made an appearance. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The fighters trained in Zaire for a number of weeks to get acclimatised to its tropical climate. Photograph: Agence France Presse/Getty Images Foreman, too, trained hard in the Zaire heat. Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images Muhammad Ali’s mother was onp hand to take care of him during one training session. Photograph: AFP/AFP/Getty Images The bombastic Ali came alive whenever microphones and news cameras appeared. Photograph: -/AFP/Getty Images Pinterest The fight began at 4am local time on 30 October so that it could be shown at 10pm on US TV. The younger and stronger Foreman faced the 32-year old Ali in front of 60,000 people in the stadium in Kinshasa and millions more watching on television around the world. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Question: Who did Mohammed Ali fight in the 1974 boxing match dubbed 'The Rumble In The Jungle'?
Answer: GEORGE FOREMAN